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Participant
April 27, 2023
Question

Photos show offline after import

  • April 27, 2023
  • 2 replies
  • 688 views

I importet 50 new photos into the photoshop organizer.  I looked at them and they looked great.  I do not know what I did but the photos now all say Offline?  When I click on them they are blurred.  I assume they are no longer on my hard drive?  Where might they be?

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2 replies

MichelBParis
Legend
April 27, 2023
quote

I importet 50 new photos into the photoshop organizer.  I looked at them and they looked great.  I do not know what I did but the photos now all say Offline?  When I click on them they are blurred.  I assume they are no longer on my hard drive?  Where might they be?


By @Al29621225bmt0

 

See:

https://helpx.adobe.com/elements-organizer/using/troubleshooting-catalog-issues.html#handle_offline_files

then scroll down to

handle offline drives

 

How to find this help link?

When you open Elements, you get the 'welcome screen' which has a search line where you can enter 'offline drive' for instance. This will offer suggestions for links about that search.

In your case, offline drives are generally on external drives, thumbnail sticks or badly connected networks.

 

If you import files from a card, a camera or a thumbstick, the logical command is NOT to choose 'from files and folders' but 'from camera or card reader' which implies that you want the photos to be downloaded to your computer, then registered in the catalog database. If you choose the other option, the files are not copied to your computer, and you can access those files only if the external source is  plugged in and available. Otherwise, you'll get the message that the files are missing.

There is an option on that option, which is not to check 'copy on import' but check 'create a preview'. That results in a small preview to be created and stored in the catalog itself to allow organizing / tagging but not editing. That explains the lower resolution of the thumbnails in the organizer.

kglad
Community Expert
Community Expert
April 27, 2023

<moved from download&install>